In medicine, certain disorders and conditions require medical implants. Medical implants are often used to replace a damaged biological tissue or fluid, augment or enhance a biological process, enhance the healing of a surgical site, deliver a drug to a localized site within a subject, or perform another biological or structural role. Implants can even be necessary to keep a patient alive. Unfortunately, problems can arise during an implant surgery, or after a patient has received the medical implant. In some instances, the implant can impair healing of the surgical site. For example, the surface of the implant can recruit cellular debris and other biological material that can become infected with bacteria, fungus, or other infectious agents. The subject's immune system can also recognize the implant as a foreign body, and attempt to fight the implant using natural defenses. This often lowers the strength of the subject's immune system and can lead to further serious problems, such as periprosthetic infections, or other infections at or near the surgical implant site.
Accordingly, it can also be desirable to deliver a bioactive agent at or near the tissue adjacent the implant site. Such a bioactive agent can help prevent at least some of the aforementioned problems associated with implants, or enhance the function of the implant itself. Unfortunately, configuring each implant to be capable of locally delivering a bioactive agent is not always possible or practical. For example, regulations for the manufacture of drug products differ significantly from the regulations for the manufacture of medical devices.
As such, a need exists for composites that can be applied to an implant or implanted into a subject that effectively provide a bioactive agent at or near tissue adjacent the implant site. These needs and other needs are satisfied by the present invention.